7 years since I started my mental health journey.
7 years since my “meltdown.”
7 years since that suicide attempt.
7 years since I was checked into a mental health facility for the first time that would change my life.
7 years.
I’m not free from depression, but I’m here.
I’m not free from anxiety, but I’m here.
I’m not free from the OCD, but I’m here.
I’m not free from the eating disorder, but I’m here.
But one thing I am free from…. the overwhelming and overpowering need and want to die.
To leave everything behind. To leave everyone behind.
Each year that passes gives me more strength for the next year.
I’ve been tested, I’ve been ridiculed, I’ve been mocked, I’ve been treated like a criminal, I’ve been judged, I’ve been bullied.
But I’ve been strong.
No one can take that away from me.
Here’s to writing something new next year.
Ali Vee 